Primarily dedicated to the community and environment, American department store chain, Kohl’s is increasingly being touted as one of the most sustainable retail chains which is working towards decreasing its footprint and environmental impact. From large-scale initiatives such as constructing environment-friendly buildings to practices such as recycling hangars, building Energy Star-labelled stores, the company has taken huge steps towards greener policies.
Retailers are increasingly working towards environmental sustainability, and Kohl’s is heading this revolution; the retailer has bought solar credits and installed solar projects that together add up to 105 per cent of the electricity it uses annually, or equivalent to a whopping 1.57 billion kWh each year. The retailer claims to be the first in North America to install 100 solar-energy systems and had started testing wind turbines in 2011. “Kohl’s is committed to protecting and conserving the environment by seeking innovative solutions that encourage long-term sustainability. We are committed to the efficient and sustainable operation of our stores, distribution centres and corporate facilities. We ask the same to our supply chain partners also,” says Julia Fennelly, Public Relations, Kohl’s. Till date, a total of 137 of the company’s stores have solar arrays, and by 2015 there will be 200 such stores. The largest solar array is at Edgewood, Maryland e-commerce fulfilment centre; it features over 6,000 solar panels on the rooftop and produces 2.4 megawatts of power.
An active member of the US Green Building Council since 2007, Kohl’s is further working on its commitment of being an environmentally responsible leader through LEED. The retailer utilizes USGBC’s LEED rating systems to best guide its building designs, construction and operations of more than 1,100 stores and corporate facility. Currently, Kohl’s has more than 430 LEED-certified locations, which amounts to 35,616,240 square feet of LEED-certified space. “We understand how our actions impact the world around us, and as a result, we champion social responsibility throughout our business model and operational management. Since 2008, Kohl’s has made commitments to pursue LEED certification for all of its newly constructed stores and corporate facilities,” reveals Fennelly.
Further, the retailer’s waste stream reduction has led to recycling of over 83 per cent of all its operational waste, and it plans to achieve a realistic goal of 85 per cent by 2015. By joining the EPA WasteWise programme, Kohl’s measures and reports its commitment to waste reduction and recycling. “As our business grows, it’s our responsibility to develop innovative ways to prevent waste from entering our stream and to conserve materials where possible. Our recycling programmes and waste avoidance strategies support our commitment to resource conservation,” says Fennelly. The company created the ‘Dry Waste’ programme in 2010 to put bagged trash, paper products, graphics and cardboard into a compactor; the waste is then taken to a facility where it is sorted and recycled or disposed of. Today, dry waste-stores are recycling more than 85-90 per cent of all materials.
In order to ensure efficiency and conservation, all Kohl’s stores carefully manage the energy used to light, heat and cool the stores and corporate buildings through its two energy efficiency innovation programmes – Ice Bear and Enerfit. The Ice Bear technology shifts the cooling demand from the hottest part of the day to the evening by making ice at night and melting it during the day to cool the store. It switches the store’s electricity demand from high-cost daytime hours to low-cost evening hours and reduces the load on the grid. Enerfit is a retrofit system for single zone HVAC units that use a customized set of hardware, controls and logic to scale the electrical and mechanical capacity of oversized HVAC units to produce significant savings. Apart from this, Kohl’s department stores have exceeded the company ‘s goal to achieve Energy Star-certification for 800 stores two years ahead of schedule, and in total has added 69 Energy Star-certified stores in 2013, bringing its total to 821. “By monitoring energy consumption, leveraging technology and maintaining valuable partnerships, we continue to reduce our energy footprint and drive bottom-line savings,” asserts Fennelly.
As transparency throughout the supply chain is becoming imperative for retailers, Kohl’s is continuously focusing on working with vendors and stakeholders to maintain fair business practices. In 2013, Kohl’s evaluated 418 vendor partners during its sustainability assessments, including 315 national brands, 74 private brands, 25 domestic transportation carriers and 4 international transportation carriers. “We put ethics, safety and the importance of an engaged workforce at the forefront of everything we do. In 2013, we conducted numerous training sessions for our vendor partners to discuss our policies, expectations, best practices, compliance improvements and more. We also actively encourage them to develop or enhance their own internal social compliance functions,” confirms Fennelly.
Apart from working towards achieving environmental sustainability, the company is also supporting women’s health and children’s health and education through various grants. Working for the overall development of the community where their stores are located, Kohl’s constant endeavour for a brighter future incorporating environmental and social sustainability, is what makes the retailer a responsible department store in the US. “We share a passion for sustainability with our associates, customers and external organizations through educational programmes, internal engagement and key partnerships. With simple actions such as recycling or turning off the lights, we have kept efficiency at the forefront of our business model,” concludes Fennelly.
